If you've lived through a Langley winter, you know the drill. The lawn goes soft in October, turns to mud by November, and the dog tracks half the backyard into the kitchen until April. Real grass and our rain just don't get along.
Artificial turf fixes that, but only if it's installed right. The secret isn't the turf itself. It's what goes underneath it.
The base does the draining, not the turf
Good turf has holes in the backing for water to pass through. But water still has to go somewhere once it's through. That's the base. We dig out the old surface, then build up a compacted layer of crushed aggregate that water flows through fast and evenly.
Skip that step, or cheap out on it, and you get puddles, soft spots, and a surface that smells after the dog uses it. We've ripped out plenty of bad installs where someone laid turf straight over old sod. Don't be that yard.
What proper drainage looks like in the Fraser Valley
- A graded, compacted aggregate base that sheds water in every direction
- The right turf backing for the use, more permeable for pets and play
- Edges secured so the surface stays put through freeze-thaw cycles
- A weed barrier so nothing grows up from below
Get those four right and your lawn drains faster than the real grass next door. After a heavy rain, you can be back out there in minutes instead of waiting days for it to dry.
Newer neighbourhoods need it most
We see a lot of this in places like Willoughby, where newer homes sit on compact lots with clay-heavy fill and drainage that the builder never really sorted out. Those yards pool water badly. A turf install with a proper base is often the cleanest fix, and it gives you a usable yard on a lot that never had one.
If you're tired of the winter mud, give us a call. We'll come look at your yard, check how it drains, and tell you straight what it needs.